That Butler, Denial
by Elizabeth Springfield
Summary: With a recent string of abductions, Sebastian finds himself facing a woman he knew from a previous contract. Drawn together by fate and repelled by mutual dislike, will Sebastian be able to focus on his current contract, or will he be dragged into his master's antics to learn more about him? SebastianxOC
1. Lost and Found

In accordance with his orders that night, Sebastian was searching around the underworld for any clues regarding the disappearances of several middle class women from respectable families. There were whispers that they had been abducted by the same man, forced into becoming women of the night.

Sebastian was familiar with the concept; he had once contracted with a man who had the same idea. At the time, there was only a single woman from a well-to-do family, but the business concept was the same.

He waited, watching the women of the night take to the streets. Somewhere, the muscle behind the operation would be watching the women. But still, that was not what he was looking for. The women who disappeared would not likely be allowed to roam the streets.

From his experience with this field of the underworld, he would need to look in a bar for any clues. So with that in mind, he headed towards the tavern he'd heard in whispers. The Rusty Carriage was a place where men gathered to indulge their dark natures. Lately, he'd heard that there was more business than usual.

He arrived at the aging structure, just outside of the East End. The stone structure looked like it was one pebble away from crumbling. Regardless, it was bustling with people. He pushed through, entering the dark, hazy bar. Inside he found people of all backgrounds. A baron sat in the corner, smiling at the women on his lap. Poor men flirted with women, scraping together what funds they had.

Sebastian sat at the bar, taking in his surroundings. It reminded him of one of Lau's opium dens, with the scantily clad women and drunken, relaxed men.

"What can I do you for?" The barkeep asked. "A drink? A companion? Both?"

Sebastian watched as one of the richer men disappeared into a side room. He could sense that there were more lives underneath the room, but due to the size of the crowd it was hard for him to discern exactly how many.

"My needs are a bit more…unusual," he smiled suggestively at the worker.

The barkeep blinked, then nodded. "You'll want to talk to Raphael." He gestured towards the side of the room. "He'll have what you're looking for."

Sebastian thanked him, and then made his way to Raphael.

The middle-aged man watched him, puffing lazily from his cigarette. He smirked, pushing out a seat for Sebastian with his foot. "So, you've got the darkness."

Sebastian smiled eerily, closing his eyes. "I'm willing to pay whatever it takes."

Raphael nodded, examining his nails. "What's your type? You like 'em feisty? You look like a man who likes to earn his entry." He chuckled throatily before coughing.

Sebastian suppressed his disgust, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "What can you offer?" All he needed to do was get into the basement. Once he was down there, he could see if the missing women were there.

Raphael thought about it for a moment. "It'll cost you."

Sebastian paid his dues and descended into the basement. Raphael had another man lead him down the stairs. The narrow staircase opened into a long hallway. There were doors every 3 meters or so, secured shut with padlocks.

"So you got Em," the man said conversationally. "She nearly killed the last guy. Hopefully you can teach her a lesson. Bitch keeps hurting our guys."

Sebastian ignored him, absorbing as much information as possible. He could sense at least twenty lives in the rooms, not including the various guards that were apparently in the halls. The women were definitely there.

They turned down the hallway and stopped in front of a door. "You'll wanna be ready right away," the guy informed Sebastian as he flicked through the keys. "She's probably heard us by now." Once the door was unlocked, he turned to Sebastian. "You'll be locked in here with her for an hour. If you need to leave earlier, for whatever reason, you can call and someone will let you out."

Sebastian stepped into the room, and the door swung shut behind him. Before he had time to adequately examine his dark surroundings, a wooden post swung past his head. He barely dodged it, surprised by the ambush.

He grinned, peering at the silhouette. "You almost got me," he told her encouragingly. "But unfortunately, I don't have time for these games."

To his surprise, she didn't attack him again. She moved back into the far corner quietly, watching him. "Move into the candlelight." She ordered, her voice low.

Sebastian stiffened, suddenly recognizing the vaguely familiar scent in the room. The voice confirmed her identity. Em. Emelia Moore. He moved towards the candlelight, obliging her request. "What are you doing here?" He asked coldly, lighting the other candles as to brighten the room.

It had been three years since he'd seen her last. He had been hoping to contract with her, but she disappeared before he could offer. Now she stood before him again, angrier, hungrier, meaner. Bruises mottled blossomed where her skin showed, as well as aged white scars.

Emelia remained where she was, glaring at him. "I could ask you the same thing." She stalked towards the door, listening as she tapped her wooden post against her leg. It appeared that she had managed to wrench it free from her bedframe, which looked like it had been attacked by a wild animal.

"I'm looking into the disappearances of seven women. Perhaps you can help me, Miss Moore."

She snorted loudly, rolling her eyes. "My information is pretty limited." She gestured around the windowless room for emphasis. "Anyways, why do you care? You a detective now?"

"Hardly," he leaned against the wall. "I'm a butler for Earl Phantomhive."

Emelia looked him over. He was the same as ever, with his too perfect face and relaxed stature. He wore his hair down and around his face now instead of slicked back. She still remembered when he first came into her room, much like he had today. She was scared back then. Weaker.

"Don't worry," he looked at her weapon pointedly. "I'm not interested."

"Good." She flourished it, examining the splintered wood.

Sebastian thought about it. He already knew the women were here. He knew that Raphael was likely to be behind it. It was details that he lacked. He also knew that Emelia was more of a _quid pro quo_ type of woman, and that seduction wasn't going to do it.

"When my master destroys this ring, he will be very grateful to those who helped him." Sebastian suggested. "Any information you have…"

"Look, Michael, I'm sure his gratefulness is great. Warm and fuzzy, no? But I'll be needing something a bit more immediate." She propped her hands on her hips, leering. "We both know you're plenty capable of getting me out of here."

So she wasn't here by choice. He closed his eyes, thinking it through. What an unlucky creature. He could break her out now, but that risked compromising the investigation. If Raphael realized one was missing, he could move the other girls. He should get Ciel's approval before acting rashly. Anyways, he already knew that the women were here. Did the details really matter?

"My name is Sebastian. And I'm afraid that's not possible."

Emelia glared at him, feeling nauseous. If only looks could kill. How dare he come back into her life? She was in a better environment with her previous captor until he murdered him. And everyone working for him. When she had went to meet him—this monster—she was snatched right back up. Turned out that Raphael liked his brother's idea and went for it. It took him time to build up influence and capitol, but in two years his enterprise really took off.

The rich loved the challenge, and the poor loved the women.

It was disgusting.

"Screw you," she muttered, swinging her post experimentally. "Uppity prick."

* * *

Sure enough, the demon left her alone in that place. Emelia was not pleased. She dragged her sheets to the middle of the room and laid down to rest. While her attacks on him were valiant, none of her blows landed. She had to admit she was impressed by his ability not to get hit. Her father had trained her how to fight, and yet she still couldn't hit the butler.

It was daytime now, she assumed. There were no new idiots in her room after he left, and business was slowest in the morning.

She rolled onto her side, curling up. It was strange to see him again, after all that they'd been through together. At the time, she had thought he was at least affectionate towards her. After all, he'd spared her from the slaughter.

* * *

 _Screams echoed through the building. Emelia shrank against the wall, sinking into the ground. Something was out there. Something was coming, and she was locked into this horrible windowless room. She couldn't even run. It would come in through the only exit. She was going to die._

 _Blood pooled under the door. Somebody took a rattling breath, coughing. "Ple—!"_

 _Silence._

 _Emelia saw the shadow cross the door. She suppressed a whimper and hid her face in her knees. "Our father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name." she whispered, unable to control the tears. She continued the Lord's prayer. He hadn't helped her before, but maybe he would now. Maybe he would look at all the bullshit she'd been through, and he'd save her._

 _The door bust open, causing her to jump. Apparently whatever it was didn't bother with the lock._

 _Emelia squeezed her eyes shut, trembling. Footsteps. This was it._

 _It grabbed her arm, and lifted her to face him._

 _Michael. He was splattered in blood, his eyes glowing pink as he crouched in front of her. "Are you afraid?"_

Sebastian. What kind of name was Sebastian, anyway? She flipped to her back restlessly. What a joke. Also, what kind of a man goes from working in a place like this to being a butler for a noble?

She brooded on it for a while before drifting into a brief, fitful sleep. Would she see him again?


	2. Running

When she awoke, she didn't know what time it was. Footsteps were scuffling around outside, muffled voices talking near her door. She waited, listening. The lock clicked and the door swung open. From the dark hallway, Raphael emerged.

"You have a very special customer today." He leaned against the doorway. "He likes to hunt. You get to try and escape. If he doesn't find you, I will." He grinned, moving close enough to snatch her hair.

Using her hair as leverage, he pulled her out of the room and into the hallway. She gritted her teeth at the pain, but didn't struggle. Struggling against Raphael never ended well. Plus, she was more interested in this new plan. A john wanted to chase her down? What a creep.

Sure enough, up the stairs a tall, thin gentlemen waited. He bared his teeth in a predatory smile at her, tapping his walking stick. Two dogs sat at his feet, alert to any threats.

Emelia did not like where this was going. She glanced at Raphael anxiously as the dogs took to her scent. If had just been the man, she could've escaped. These dogs were bad news. They looked well trained.

"I'll give you five minutes," the man eyed her hungrily. "Run, little kitten."

Emelia didn't need to be told twice, sprinting through the door. She paused, deciding on direction. She wasn't sure where she was. She'd never been outside her prison before. Both streets looked equally dangerous from what she could tell, so she picked left. She ran, her bare feet slapping against the sidewalk. She ran until her lungs burned from the exertion. She ran until she realized she should've gone right.

The streets had gotten progressively worse. The characters that blocked her path were increasingly seedier. She was barely able to dodge the broken glass. How long was five minutes? It felt like it had been mere seconds before she heard the howling. She couldn't run faster. Her heart felt like it was going to explode, pounding against her chest. The dogs sounded closer, barking ferociously.

Emelia risked glancing behind her. Almost immediately, her foot landed on a shard of glass. She gave a short scream as the sharp, stinging pain shot through her. Her hands connected with the ground, but she crumpled when the glass sliced into them.

There was no point to running anymore. Her blood would be easy enough to follow, and she was too hurt to even bother. She had to arm herself. She searched the floor desperately, looking for something that could do substantial damage. All she could find was the glass that had fell her.

The dogs were upon her almost immediately, snarling with long, pointed teeth. She slashed at them wildly, landing a blow on the smaller one. It yelped, recoiling. The remaining dog sunk its teeth into her arm. She shrieked and dropped her weapon. All she could do was punch at it blindly, thrashing against the hold.

This was it. She was going to be torn apart by dogs. _Dogs._ She'd always pictured something more romantic, more peaceful. Not dogs. Never dogs. She didn't even hear their master approach, his heels clicking on the cobblestones slowly.

"Off," he ordered, kneeling by his injured dog. The dog that was clamped into Emelia backed away, sitting obediently. He examined the injury, frowning. "You hurt my dog." He raised his cane above his head, preparing to bring it down on her.

She heard the cane strike, but she didn't feel it. Was she dead? She opened her eyes, not remembering when she'd squeezed them shut. Sebastian had taken the blow, crouching over Emelia. Where had he come from? She stared up at him, her vision blurring from the effort to focus. Between the gashes from the glass and the dog bites, she was losing a lot of blood.

"My, my. A gentleman never strikes a lady." He straightened, his eyes flashing. He grinned at the man.

Maybe it was the eerie smile, or the fact that Sebastian had taken the blow like it was nothing, but the man backed off. Even his dogs looked nervous around Sebastian, submitting. "Fine, fine. No problem." He backed away, holding his hands up in a shrug. "Better watch yourself, she tried to kill my dog."

Sebastian turned his attention to Emelia as the man left. She was losing a good deal of blood, and was obviously not holding on to consciousness very well. He was going to have to tend to her wounds soon.

Meanwhile, Ciel directed the young women towards his carriage. All seven of the girls were there, shaken. Sebastian had neatly dispatched the men working, but had reported that the leader was missing. More than twenty young women had been forced into those conditions.

He looked around, waiting for his butler to return. He had been very serious, informing him that his informant was missing as well. Why he cared, Ciel didn't know. He also didn't care, as long as Sebastian found the leader. There couldn't be any witnesses, as these women were going to return to their homes and lives in high society.

"Tch. What are you doing, Sebastian? Get over here." He muttered, looking at the women nervously. They kept thanking him, doting on him. It was beginning to make him uncomfortable.

"I'm right here, Young Lord." Sebastian appeared from the darkness, carrying a young woman. "I did not locate Raphael."

Ciel glared at him and his messy package. "Who is that? She's not one of them."

"This is Emelia Moore. She disappeared in 1884 from her family's townhouse in London." Sebastian informed him. "Raphael was the brother of her original captor. I presume he got the idea to kidnap these women from him."

"Moore?" Ciel thought about it. "The Moore's were the ones in that double suicide, right?"

Sebastian nodded, setting her on the carriage so that he could tend to her wounds.

"Why didn't you bring this up before? How did you know about this?" He demanded. If she was the original victim, it could've helped to track down the others.

"I simply didn't think about it. I didn't realize she was still alive," Sebastian wrapped her wounds, careful not to jolt her.

"Did you know her?" Ciel asked, trying his best to analyze the way that Sebastian handled her. He had seemed shocked when he realized she wasn't there, saying that he could sense that she was recently there. "You seemed concerned that she was gone."

Sebastian smiled. The brat had noticed after all. When he felt her absence, he was worried she had been killed before he could demonstrate what his gratuity could be like. "It was before your contract," he informed him. "As I said, I didn't know she was still alive." He could sense her fear when he was looking for her, hear her screaming. Why did that bother him? He looked at her irritably. Humans were pesky creatures, so fragile.

Ciel could tell there was more to the story than that. However, he was tired and they still had to return the women to their homes. Emelia didn't have a home to return to, as her parents had burnt themselves alive inside of it.

"She can stay at the manor. You'll treat her injuries until we figure out what to do with her." Ciel decided, stepping into the carriage.


End file.
